Augmentative
Communication Tools for the
Medical Setting
Debby McBride, MS, CCC-SLP
Juli Pearson, MS, CCC-SLP
Boulder Community Hospital
Survey Discussion
Have you (or your family members) ever
been in the hospital before, and if so
were there any difficulties experienced
in making your wants and needs
known?
If yes, what were they?
Boulder Community Hospital
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Survey Discussion
If applicable, what are some of the types
of “communication problems” have
you observed in the in-patient setting
(reading/ writing, hearing, verbal
output, language barriers, using a call
system, etc.)?
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Survey Discussion
If you work in the health care setting, you have likely
heard of JCAHO. JCAHO is a national health care
accreditation agency which sets standards of care
such as:
– “Patients have a right & need for effective communication”
– “Encourage pts’ active involvement in their own care.”
Do you feel your hospital, or hospitals in general, are
meeting these goals, particularly in the case of
individuals with communication impairments?
If yes, how? ….If not, what are some barriers you see?
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What is AAC?
"integrated group of components, including
symbols, aids, strategies and techniques
used by individuals to enhance
communication“
…let’s think about how this applies to the
health care setting….
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Nature of Pt’s Communication in
the Health Care Setting
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Trauma or decrease in health
Unfamiliar environment
Rapid communication (not necessarily in their 1o language)
Critical decisions are being made
Some degree of pain or discomfort
Hearing aides, dentures and glasses may not be w/ them
Medications and/or sleep depravation alter their ‘state’
Sub-optimal position for communication
……other?
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Why we developed our program…
• Desire to be meeting ALL pts needs
• Patient & Staff feedback
• JCAHO (health care accreditation agency)
– Standard of Care RI.2.100
“Patient has a right & need for effective communication”
– 2007 Nat’l Patient Safety goals- Goal 13:
“Encourage pts’ active involvement in their own care”
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AAC in the Health Care Setting
(particularly the inpatient setting)
Must be:
• Necessity
• Functional
• Easy to Access
• Easy to use
• Easy to Acquire
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How to gain the administrative
support…
• Collaboration with the Patient Care
Representative
• Hospital policy on communication access
(e.g. English as a second language)?
• Needs assessment with staff (RN managers,
therapists, etc.)
• Solicitation of patient feedback
• JCAHO standards
• Look creatively at funding options (Auxiliary
Board, Hospital Foundation, Division of costs)
Boulder Community Hospital
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Needs Assessment
RNs
PT/ OT
Input from
Variety
of
Staff
Social
Workers
Pt. Care
Rep.
Audiology
Interpreters
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Types of questions we asked…
communication needs
-when?
-how often?
-types of patients?
-duration?
-current remedies?
patient
population?
Boulder Community Hospital
what would be
most helpful
for staff and
patients?
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Needs Assessment Summary
Temporary
New
diagnosis
Communication
Needs
Identified
Chronic
Language
Barrier
When communication needs are not met, nurses admitted to increased
use of sedation, and pt’s being less involved in their care
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Research in the field shows…
• Pts with access to communication :
– Receive less sedation
– Are transitioned quicker
– Have increased satisfaction with health
care
– Feel more in control
– …and generally do better…
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•
Happ MB. (2004) Communicating with mechanically ventilated patients: state of the science. Wes J Nurs Res,
Feb 26 (1); 85-103.
Patak L, Gawlinski A, Fung NI, Doering L, Berg J. (2006). Communication boards in critical care: A patient's view.
Applied Nursing Research, 19(4), 182-90.
Patak L, Gawlinski A, Fung NI, Doering L, Berg J. (2004). Patient's reports of health care practitioner interventions
related to communication during mechanical ventilation. Heart & Lung - The of Acute and Critical Care, 33(5), 308320.
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Getting AAC Tools to Patients
• Immediate Basic Needs
(nursing involvement)
Adaptive Equipment Tool Kit
• Complex Communication Needs
AAC Evaluation Kit
(SLP intervention)
• Ongoing Communication Needs
AAC Loan Bank/
Give Away Tools
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Adaptive Equipment Tool Kit
(ALL STAFF involvement)
We want your input: What tool do you have and
how might you use it, with what type of patient?
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Adaptive Equipment Tool Kit
(Located on each Nursing Unit for ALL staff to access)
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Pocket Talker & Hearing
Aid Trouble Shooting
Guide
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Magnification Glass
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Modified Call Bell & “How
To” instructions
•
Vidatek Communication
Board
English & Spanish
•
Letter/ Picture Boards
English & Spanish
•
Clipboard & Dry Erase
Board with Writing
Strategies
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AAC Evaluation Kit
(SLP intervention)
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Assessment Hierarchy
Evaluation Form
Notebook
Tote Bag with Assessment Tools
Loaner and Give Away Equipment
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Notebook Example
Modifications
Alphabet & Words
-Voice Output (Go
Talk, Talking Photo
Album)
-Letter boards
-Key guard
-Adaptive Call Bell
-Word boards/ topic
boards
-Dream writer
-Eye Gaze/ partner
asst. scanning
-Writing Strategies…
-Amplification
Pictures & Symbols
Bedside Recommendations
-Picture boards
Spanish Boards
-Writing Strategies
-Photographs
-Vidatek
-Communication Tools
-Life Images…
-Picture
Communicator
-Non-verbal suggestions
-Daily Communicator
-Suggestions for Aphasia…
Boulder Community Hospital
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Evaluation Form
Format Matches Hierarchy
Format Matches
Notebook Layout
Boulder Community Hospital
©
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Assessment Hierarchy
©
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Loan Bank/ “Give Away” Tools
• Need for loaner & “give away” tools..
– “Cash and carry” is difficult within the hospital setting
• Pt’s don’t have $ with them
• Families not always present
– Primary focus is medical
• Pt’s not used to buying items for care in the hospital setting
• it’s inequitable to do cash/ carry items for communication
– Most of these items are between $10-$200 and
insurance doesn’t cover them…
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Loan Bank/ “Give Away” Tools
• How we funded loan/ “give away” tools…
– Distributed cost among RN units with
Adaptive Equipment Tool Kit
– 2 Hospital Foundation Grants $700 for 1-3 yr
budget
– Auxiliary committee for more costly individual
needs
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Hospital “Buy-in” for AAC in
Acute Care
• Hospital Objectives
– JACHO requirement
– Patient feedback
• Nursing Directors
• Distributing cost/ responsibility among
each Nursing Unit
• Increasing ownership of tools
• Re-ordering system thru Purchasing Dept
• Auxiliary Grant
• SLP Rehab Budget
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Training
• Adaptive Equipment Tool Kit
– Each Nursing Unit via
• Monthly in-service/ staff meeting
• Staff room/ bathroom flyers
• Hospital news bulletin
– Nursing Directors Meeting
– Quarterly review
• AAC Evaluation Kit
– All SLP’s covering acute care (not just AAC specialist)
• Yearly competency
• Staff meetings/ in-services
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Case Studies
39 yo s/p TBI 10 years ago, readmitted
for pneumonia
-non-verbal
-mod-severe UE Spasticity
-used a few “signs”
-lived in a nursing home, only
family was in CA
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Case Studies
58 yo s/p MVA with a Spinal Cord Injury &
TBI
-non-verbal with trach
-retracted face and ‘locked jaw’
-no air passage through mouth/ nose
-slight R UE thumb movement only
-able to move eyes up/ down but
minimal lateral movement
Boulder Community Hospital
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Case Study
79 yo with trach, lung Ca, severe
deconditioning
– Recently received ototoxic meds and now
HOH
– Only tolerated PMV for <1-3 min
– Weak arms but able to point, shake hands,
etc.
– Family was making decisions re: home
hospice vs. LTAC
Boulder Community Hospital
Case Study
59 yo s/p new left stroke
-glasses were left at home
-Severe expressive aphasia
-able to recognize common words/
symbols
-unable to spell, though trying to use
his laptop
Boulder Community Hospital
Case Study
32 yo with MS
-Severe dysarthria
-slow, laborious writing, with decreased
legibility
-fatigues quickly
-able to point
-good vision
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Case Study
42 yo with brainstem stroke
-quadriplegic
-non-verbal
-unable to track eyes, but had ‘yes’
(eyes up) and ‘no’ (eyes down)
Boulder Community Hospital
Case Studies…
…we want to hear from you…
-actual patients
-hypothetical patients
-what has worked…and what hasn’t…
Boulder Community Hospital
For More Information
• Email Addresses:
– Juli Pearson
juliTpearson@hotmail.com
– Debby McBride aacclinic@bch.org
debby@aactechconnect.com
• Booth -come by and take a look
• AAC TechConnect website (for handouts
and resources)
www.aacTechConnect.com
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